lake
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.1|Lake Idro, an Italian [[prealpine lake of glacial origin situated largely within the province of Brescia (Lombardy) and in part in Trentino.]] thumb|upright=1.1|Sunset over Lake Michigan at Nordhouse Dunes in [[Manistee National Forest, Michigan, United States|alt=Sunset over Lake Michigan at Nordhouse Dunes in Manistee National Forest, Michigan, United States.]]
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A lake is a large body of freshwater or saltwater surrounded by land, and lakes can form through various natural processes such as glacial activity. Lakes matter because they provide important water resources, support diverse ecosystems, and offer recreational and scenic value to nearby communities.
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Article
36 sectionsContents
- Etymology, meaning, and usage of "lake"
- Distribution
- Types
- Tectonic lakes
- Volcanic lakes
- Glacial lakes
- Fluvial lakes
- Oxbow lakes
- Fluviatile dams
- Lateral lakes
- Floodplain lakes
- Solution lakes
- Landslide lakes
- Aeolian lakes
- Shoreline lakes
- Organic lakes
- Peat lakes
- Artificial lakes
- Meteorite (extraterrestrial impact) lakes
- Other classification methods
- By thermal stratification
- By seasonal variations in water level and volume
- By water chemistry
- Composed of other liquids
- Paleolakes
- Characteristics
- Limnology
- Biological properties
- Disappearance
- Extraterrestrial lakes
- Notable lakes on Earth
- Largest by continent
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|upright=1.1|Lake Idro, an Italian [[prealpine lake of glacial origin situated largely within the province of Brescia (Lombardy) and in part in Trentino.]] thumb|upright=1.1|Sunset over Lake Michigan at Nordhouse Dunes in [[Manistee National Forest, Michigan, United States|alt=Sunset over Lake Michigan at Nordhouse Dunes in Manistee National Forest, Michigan, United States.]]
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from the ocean, although they may be connected with the ocean by rivers. Lakes, like other bodies of water, are part of the water cycle, the processes by which water moves around the Earth. Most lakes are fresh water and account for almost all the world's surface freshwater, but some are salt lakes with salinities even higher than that of seawater. Lakes vary significantly in surface area and volume of water, but in total cover approximately 2.5 X 106 km2 (less than 2%) of the Earth's surface.